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[Bohandas]

...
Because that would definitely sit well with the masses that genuinely want Half-Life 3. Because they, you know, want a conclusion to the story. Not 'it was a dreeaaaammmm'.

Indeed it wouldn't sit well with them, BUT if they got rid of the events of Half-Life 2 then they could make a real sequel to Half-Life 1 that actually resembled the original game in terms of setting, gameplay, and tone.

[KingofstarrySkies]

...You realize, that you are in the minority here, and that if they did that, people would lose their minds.

[Graknorke]

Nah, people'd play it. The story of Half-Life is already full of weird time travel and meta bullshit anyway. It's not like it'd be entirely a surprise.

[Bohandas]

Nah, people'd play it. The story of Half-Life is already full of weird time travel and meta bullshit anyway. It's not like it'd be entirely a surprise.

Actually, time travel might be a better idea. He could travel back to the place and time of Half-Life 1 to stop the events that lead to the world of Half-Life 2

[KingofstarrySkies]

I think, just maybe, that Bohandas doesn't like HL2.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Bohandas is a HL2 racist actually. A friendly warning to all partaking here. HL2 is a great sequel, and I will duel you if you say otherwise, blade or pistol: take your choice.

[SealyStar]

HL2 is a good (and, for its time, great, though it hasn't aged well) game, but I agree that it's a mediocre sequel for two main reasons:

1. The story changes too much. While the ending of HL1 do make a regular chronological sequel impossible (and a CoD-style iterative one would be even worse), there are better ways to make a new story in the same setting than to move the whole thing ~20 years into the future, where the only recognizable things from the first game are more "Heh, heh, it's a reference" Easter eggs than actual story connections. Instead of going off the worldbuilding they already did or thinking of more reasonable consequences of the resonance cascade, Valve made up a completely new evil force with no connections to the first games' and just had them turn the world into a cloney dystopia.

2. The gameplay doesn't change enough. People defend HL2 by talking about the gravity gun (which is admittedly fun), but that doesn't excuse the fact that otherwise HL2 still feels like a late 90s game with fancy graphics. Basically, you skid around magically at high speed and shoot a limited arsenal of oddly-balanced guns with piss-poor accuracy at a variety of bullet sponges. If anything, the combat in HL1 was (IMO, of course) better - the guns felt more satisfying, there were more of them, and the balancing of things like ammo storage was better.

[itisnotlogical]

I view the story of Half-Life as optional. It's window dressing; very nice, well thought-out window dressing, but not necessary to the enjoyment of the game. The real work was never in the plot of the actual games; it's in the environmental storytelling, like that abandoned house you find during the long drive in HL2, or the really detailed commute to work at the beginning of HL1. It's not an amazing story per se, but it's set in a believable world.

I mean, the story of Half-Life 1 was "Some dudes come through a portal and you shoot them, then the government sends some dudes and you shoot them, then you go through a portal yourself to shoot the biggest dude and win the game". The plot of HL2 was a bit more pretentious, but basically the same (haven't played the episodes yet so I can't speak to those).

The most genius part of the Half-Life story is that it's just vague enough to be interesting, 90% of which comes from G-Man and Gordon Freeman:

- Gordon Freeman has an implied backstory based on how characters interact with him throughout the series, but we never learn any details and Gordon himself never speaks up, so we can fill in just about any personality we like. Bam, intrigue.

- G-Man is a mysterious figure who always seems involved, but never gets his own hands dirty; you see him peering through windows, observing from a distance and manipulating from the shadows, but you never learn what he's doing or where he comes from. Bam, intrigue.

This isn't to demean the story; it was most likely totally intentional that it turned out this way, and a lot of thought was obviously put in to how to present what little information is given to the player. But the story is more interesting for what you have to speculate on, rather than what actually appears in the games.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Im also biased in that I played HL2 first, so I'm much more invested in that world/story

[Bohandas]

2. The gameplay doesn't change enough. People defend HL2 by talking about the gravity gun (which is admittedly fun), but that doesn't excuse the fact that otherwise HL2 still feels like a late 90s game with fancy graphics. Basically, you skid around magically at high speed and shoot a limited arsenal of oddly-balanced guns with piss-poor accuracy at a variety of bullet sponges. If anything, the combat in HL1 was (IMO, of course) better - the guns felt more satisfying, there were more of them, and the balancing of things like ammo storage was better.

Yeah, HL2 had only about half-as many guns, and the gravity gun was the only one that was interesting.

I view the story of Half-Life as optional. It's window dressing; very nice, well thought-out window dressing, but not necessary to the enjoyment of the game. The real work was never in the plot of the actual games; it's in the environmental storytelling, like that abandoned house you find during the long drive in HL2, or the really detailed commute to work at the beginning of HL1. It's not an amazing story per se, but it's set in a believable world.

I actually view the tram scene as the first game's single most major flaw. It's like that awful ride to Helgen at the beginning of Skyrim.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

and then I realized Steam existed in 2004...

[SealyStar]

and then I realized Steam existed in 2004...

And remember the day a year or two ago when HL2E2 became older than HL1 was when HL2 was released?

[Urist McScoopbeard]

And remember the day a year or two ago when HL2E2 became older than HL1 was when HL2 was released?

HHNNNNNNNNNGG... heart attack.

[Tomasque]

I came up with a game design last night. It's called Locked In.

It's set in a mansion that is loaded with valuables. 8 Guests and two inspectors are locked in for a "night". The thieves have to steal a certain number of objects and hide them in their "cache" spot without being caught. However, there is a camera system that inspectors can tap into(but can also be temporarily disabled). Inspectors can work together and have a to way radio, so they can work together on foot or one in a video booth guiding the other, or both alone.
Thieves randomly leave evidence behind but can decrease the odds temporarily through mechanics like wearing gloves, however, gloves only last for 45 seconds and are then visible hanging out of their pocket for 1 minute(necessary mechanic for balance). There are a series of tools that can be used but there is always a counter balance. For example, a thief wears gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints but then an inspector sees them walking with gloves out of their pocket and follows them to their cache and busts them.

I've got a lengthy design document but I imagine it will take me years to balance everything better.

My hobby is game designing/programming. Your idea seems really interesting. I know that you wrote this a long time ago, could you please show me the design document for the game?

[H4zardZ1]

and then I realized Steam existed in 2004...

And remember the day a year or two ago when HL2E2 became older than HL1 was when HL2 was released?

Well, i think that only on 2008-2009 they grew up very very fast. Before 2006, through, they weren't seem large...